Amsterdam - Windmills, Wooden Shoes, Cheese & Bicycles!

Posted Sunday, July 26, 2009 from Munich, Germany - Photos taken Saturday.

I will begin this post with a statement that "bicycles can be dangerous to one's health".... after a couple of near misses (we were almost run over) we finally learned to look both ways - not only for cars, buses and trams - but for bicycles, too. As stated earlier, there are approximately one-half million bicycles in this city and they have their own bike lanes and ALWAYS seem to have the right-of-way. We also learned that "road rage" is not limited to drivers of automobiles!

We took a wonderful tour into the Holland countryside where we visited a cheese factory - tasted and purchased! We then visited a wooden shoe factory (farmers and gardners actually still wear the wooden shoes) and were treated to a demonstration of how a shoe is made from either poplar or willow (when the wood is still very wet). Of course, the tour steers the group through the store - and yes, we bought wooden shoes.

Possibly the highlight of the trip was a visit to one of the working windmills where we also learned that there are still at least 100 in operation, rather than the 8 that we had earlier been told. The windmills are used for producing power, sawing logs, grinding meal, etc. We climbed the steep, 4 inch wide steps to the top. It wasn't the going up - it was the coming down that brought palpitations to the heart! (Mine)

Bob & Sarah beside one of canals in Edam, Holland (Edam cheese). Temperature was a chilly high 50s with heavy breeze and overcast skies.

Note the gazebo, on the water. The "ladies" sit here and drink their tea in the afternoon. There were several of these little buildings on the canal in Edam.

Row of working windmills.

With machinery, it takes about 15 minutes to make a pair of wooden shoes as opposed to 2 days by hand.

A "windblown" Ginny on her way to climb up into the windmill.

Ginny climbing the steep ladder into the top of the windmill - yes, I was already up there taking the photo. This same ladder is used to go back down.

The three of us - at the top;. The huge windmill blades were rotating behind us.

The Amsterdam Flower Market - bulbs are shipped all over the world.

A goodbye toast to Amsterdam!

Sarah